


what baking can do

by cadyjanis



Series: jaren [6]
Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Baking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-02-15 15:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18672265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cadyjanis/pseuds/cadyjanis
Summary: karen laughs tearfully, and tilts her head up to kiss janis’s cheek. “i love you a lot.”“i love you, too,” janis says, kissing her nose in retaliation. “c’mon, let’s watch the muffins rise. that’s the most fun part.”—janis comes to a discouraged karen’s rescue.





	what baking can do

**Author's Note:**

> > **trigger warnings:**   
>  abusive father/parent

Janis knows something is wrong before she’s even answered the phone, but greets Karen with the usual optimism she saves just for her. “Hey,” she says, pushing her homework to the side so she can sprawl on her bed.

 

“Hi,” Karen echoes meekly, sounding very un-Karen-like, and Janis hates that her intuition was correct this time. “I’m not bothering you, am I?”

 

“Of course not,” Janis tells her, wondering why she’d ask. “What’s up, buttercup?”

 

Karen sighs despondently, and Janis’s frown deepens, since Karen always giggles when Janis calls her that. “Nothing,” she murmurs, and Janis can just picture her also on her bed, twirling a blonde lock around her manicured finger, slippered feet in the air.

 

“Just nothing?” Janis presses, because this is different than a scenario in which Karen calls to play it cool like she isn’t after kisses. Karen is obviously sad about something, and the only person who can fix it is Janis.

 

On the other line, Karen is quiet, like she’s mulling over what she wants to say. Janis is patient, if not anxious, to hear what’s going on—it’s not like Karen to be discouraged or woeful.

 

“My dad…” Karen finally mutters, audibly fighting back tears. “My dad found my report card and he got mad at me… He made me feel worse than I already do. I was really hoping I was doing better this year—” Her voice cracks shamefully.

 

“Aw, Karen,” Janis moans sympathetically, sliding off her bed to step into her boots, needing to be with Karen whether Karen invites her or not. Karen is never shy about asserting her wants, but Janis has a sense she’d be embarrassed to ask if Janis can come by.

 

Her confidence has taken a blow, and Janis has to help her build it back up. That’s her job as a girlfriend, to reinforce the fact that Karen is worth a lot more than anyone thinks. Her father isn’t allowed to talk down to her.

 

That’s probably the worst thing he could’ve done for her, and did.

 

“I’m coming over to pick you up, okay?” Janis informs a sniffling Karen as she grabs her keys. “Give me ten minutes, put your shoes on. Where’s your dad?”

 

“In his office,” Karen mumbles. “But I’ll be fine—”

 

“Nope. Not a debate.” Janis locks the front door behind her, hoping to get Karen here and back before it starts raining. The one thing Karen hates more than her dad is thunderstorms.

 

She’s never explicitly said she hates him, but she doesn’t have to. He’s an egotistical, arrogant piece of garbage, and she deserves better than to be patronized and spoken to like she’s five. Karen may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but her father keeps her dull by treating her so poorly when it comes to her grades.

 

Everyone has the ability to work and try harder, so Janis and Cady have been helping Karen do that. Surely her math and chemistry marks have improved somewhat.

 

“Okay,” Karen is sighing, not possessing the will to argue. “Just be careful, Janis. My left breast says it’s gonna rain soon…”

 

And that is what makes Karen Smith so special. Her mind is good and unique in its own way—her father can’t steal that from her, no matter what.

 

* * *

 

Karen is waiting nervously on the front porch when Janis pulls up, and the leggy blonde hurries to join her in the cozy cab of the truck. Since there’s always time for hugs, Janis gladly opens her arms for one, and Karen tearfully snuggles close to her for a minute, face in her neck. Janis cradles the back of her head, just relieved to have her here, where she’s safe.

 

She drives one-handed, for her right arm remains tight around Karen’s shoulders, Karen’s head resting on hers. Karen says no when Janis softly asks if she wants Dairy Queen or something to take her mind off things, which is troubling considering Karen never fails to jump all over an Oreo Cookie Blizzard.

 

So Janis will make this right. Whatever she has to do, she will.

 

Thunder is rolling by the time Janis makes it back to her house, and her pitbull, Quincy, barks in the window as she and Karen walk up to the door hand-in-hand. Her parents are both working late tonight, so it’ll be just them. And Quincy.

 

Karen falls to her knees in the foyer when Quincy comes to say hello, feeling protected by the sweet and lovable pitbull. At least seeing him gets a smile and laugh out of her.

 

Janis turns on the lights in the kitchen and living room so the growing murkiness won’t freak Karen out too much. Quincy follows them to Janis’s room, where she shuts the blinds and switches on her glow in the dark stars, courtesy of Cady. Karen makes that cute awed sound when they start to shine, and happily makes herself comfortable on Janis’s cushy bed as Janis clears off her abandoned homework.

 

“Thank you,” Karen says, almost sheepishly, and Janis bends over to kiss her, cupping her face between her palms like she’s something sacred and fragile.

 

“Don’t thank me,” Janis whispers. “I’m always here for you. You know that.”

 

Karen nods, blushing for real, and makes grabby hands. Janis kicks off her boots and crawls in beside her, where their bodies quickly become pressed together under the covers, legs tangled and faces close. Karen accepts all the comforting kisses Janis has to give, not paying any mind to the rain beginning to blow against the house.

 

It’s a bit later while Karen is just laying on top of Janis when her stomach growls. Janis hums a laugh, running her hands down Karen’s warm back. “You hungry now?”

 

“Yeah,” Karen admits. “But this is nice.”

 

“It is,” Janis agrees, squeezing her. “But we can come back.”

 

“Yeah. ’Kay. I want muffins,” Karen confesses then.

 

Now Janis has to laugh out loud. “Muffins?” she repeats, and Karen says yes, nuzzling her chin with her nose. “Hm. Don’t have those.”

 

“Can we make some?” Karen suggests, feeble yet hopeful.

 

Janis looks at her for a moment, brushing her soft hair off her cheeks. “Sure, baby,” she obliges without needing to decide. “Let’s go make some damn muffins, Kare-Bear.”

 

* * *

 

They spend a solid ten minutes sitting at the counter looking up easy muffin recipes on Janis’s phone. Karen wants blueberry, and it’s Janis’s dumb luck that there’s some in the fridge. They take inventory of what they currently have on hand that matches a recipe, and Janis is relieved she doesn’t have to battle the storm to get vegetable oil.

 

Karen excitedly pulls out the utensils while Janis lists them, pointing to where they’re all kept. It admittedly isn’t her strong suit, but she’d be damned not to try and bake these muffins. Karen is more deserving than usual.

 

Janis takes the precaution of reheating the oven, warning Karen not to touch or go near it. She nods her grave understanding, and she’s so adorable Janis can’t help but kiss her.

 

Once their hair is tied back and they’ve donned a couple of Janis’s mom’s aprons, Janis props her phone up against the island’s flower vase and tells Karen what she needs. Quincy waits for a crumb or two at their feet as Karen hands Janis the ingredients, not even worried about the heavy rain anymore. Janis lets her crack an egg and dump in some flour, and pretends not to notice when she pops a blueberry into her mouth.

 

Janis shows her how to grease the pan and fill the cups with the batter. Then they work on the topping, and Janis has to save Karen from attempting the cinnamon challenge, telling her they both need the cinnamon and would be unable to reach a hospital in time.

 

After that, Karen stands behind her with her chin on Janis’s shoulder, preferring to observe.

 

Despite the muffins not being baked yet, Janis thinks they did pretty good. Karen stands back as Janis puts the pan in the oven and sets the timer for twenty-five minutes, and again Janis is required to keep Karen from consuming something she shouldn’t by confiscating the rest of the batter. Raw eggs and Karen won’t mix.

 

“I feel like the lady in that musical,” Karen says thoughtfully. Instructed to be still and not touch anything, she sits on the counter as Janis cleans up their mess.

 

“What, _Waitress_?” Janis offers, and only has an idea of what Karen is talking about because of course Damian has forced her to listen to every possible musical under the sun. And she did it without complaint, just for him.

 

“Yeah,” Karen approves. “Didn’t she make muffins?”

 

“She made pies, love,” Janis corrects good-naturedly, loading the dishwasher.

 

“Right. Well, whatever.” Karen sighs, and gets quiet. The only sounds then are the clatter of the dishes and rain thudding on the roof, thunder occasionally clapping far off. Janis glances at her girlfriend as she’s washing her hands, taking note of her sad face, like she’s remembering why she’s here in Janis’s house making muffins. The distraction didn’t hold up for very long.

 

Janis taps her nose before hopping up on the island beside her, their arms touching. “Hey,” she says, hand on Karen’s knee. “That was fun.”

 

Karen nods in agreement, but doesn’t brighten up. Janis puts her arm around her again, planting a kiss on her shoulder. That makes Karen smile a little, but it fades.

 

“Whatcha thinking about?” Janis asks softly, knowing the answer but wanting to give Karen the chance to explain her feelings.

 

“How angry my dad was,” Karen mutters, fiddling with the hem of her apron. “He’s never blown up at me like that before. I mean, I’ve been getting bad grades for years, but he hasn’t yelled at me until now… I dunno. I guess it’s because this is my senior year, and a lot counts.”

 

“Yeah,” Janis murmurs, not thinking that justifies anything.

 

“I’m trying really hard,” Karen whispers, about to cry. “I’ve _been_ trying for a long time, but I’m so stupid and it’ll never be good enough for anyone—”

 

“Karen, hey,” Janis soothes, pulling her closer, and Karen’s head finds its spot on her shoulder. “Shhh. Don’t say that. You are good enough. School is fucking hard, but you’re not stupid. I see how hard you’ve been working. This is important to you and you’re doing your best. It can’t be any worse than last year.”

 

“To him it is,” Karen moans, and Janis brushes away the tears slipping down her cheeks. Karen is inconsolable for a while, so Janis just holds her, as painful as it is to hear her cry. Janis isn’t one for being comforted herself, but she’d do anything for people she loves.

 

Their hands become linked, and Janis rubs her thumb over Karen’s knuckles. “What he thinks doesn’t mean shit,” she whispers into Karen’s hair. “Okay? You’re smart in your own way. You figure things out differently, but you can do it. It might be harder for you than anyone else, but I see you doing it. And you might not be getting straight A’s, but C pluses and B minuses are a lot better than what you were getting, right?”

 

Karen shrugs. “I guess,” she sniffs.

 

“Yeah. I think so, at least.” Janis squeezes her arm. “And there’s always room for improvement. And I know you can get there. You’re not a quitter, buttercup.”

 

Karen laughs tearfully, and tilts her head up to kiss Janis’s cheek. “I love you a lot.”

 

“I love you, too,” Janis says, kissing her nose in retaliation. “C’mon, let’s watch the muffins rise. That’s the most fun part.”

 

* * *

 

“Quincy, no! Ah, there he goes.” Janis huffs as Quincy scurries away with a bite of muffin.

 

Karen nearly chokes on hers from laughing so hard at Janis’s affronted expression, since a part of her muffin is now missing. Janis has to laugh, too.

 

They’re sitting on the floor, long legs crossed over each other, as they eat their crumbly, sugary, blueberry treats. The muffins turned out golden-brown and sweet, much better than Janis was anticipating. Maybe there’s a metaphor for Karen in there. Better than anybody thinks.

 

“Thanks for rescuing me,” Karen says again, reaching for another. “You’re kinda, like, my knight in shining armor. Can girls be knights?”

 

“Yup,” Janis replies with a nod. “Anything guys can do, we can do better.”

 

“Especially baking muffins,” Karen muses, licking cinnamon off her lips. “My dad couldn’t make muffins like these. Take that, Dad, your daughter’s good at _something_.”

 

“Hell yeah.” Too lazy to get closer, Janis gives her an air high-five. Karen doesn’t get it, and lifts her muffin in solidarity. “You’re good at a lot of things, Kare. You know how to color coordinate, and perfect your eyeliner, and what kind of dog pictures to send when I’m sad. Dogs in bowties will always make me happy.”

 

Karen hums, glad to hear that. “Me, too, they’re so cute. But, thanks. I _am_ good at coordinating my outfits.” She flips her ponytail. “I’m not _that_ useless.”

 

“You’re definitely not,” Janis insists. “You’re a good girlfriend and a good friend, too. Your worth transcends your grades, believe it or not. I know you have a lot to offer, Karen.”

 

Karen gives her a soft look, blushing. “Aw. Thanks.” She finishes her muffin, then sighs. “Kinda scared to go home, though.”

 

Janis moves to sit next to her again as Quincy sniffs around for muffin remnants. “You can stay here tonight if you want,” Janis murmurs. “Where’s your mom?”

 

“Work,” Karen tells her. “But she can come pick me up. I’ll be okay if I’m with her.”

 

Janis takes her hand. “Alright, buttercup.”

 

The rain is lightening up, and Quincy lays down at their feet, effectively giving up. Janis rubs his back with her foot, and Karen tightens their shared grip.

 

Karen’s mom comes by a couple hours later to pick her up, having been informed where Karen is and why. Karen answers the door, and her mom pulls her into a long hug while Janis holds Quincy back from leaping on her.

 

Karen’s parents don’t know they’re dating, but Mrs. Smith has met Janis before, since Janis is Karen’s study buddy. So Janis gets a hug, too, and a thank you for looking after Karen. Karen gets to take home the remaining muffins, and Mrs. Smith brings them to the car to give the girls a moment to say goodbye. Karen hugs Janis tightly, and Janis has to fight the urge to caress her hair or press a kiss to her neck. It’s so hard to keep themselves invisible.

 

But Karen doesn’t need the stress of her parents—her dad in particular—knowing right now. So this is just how it is, and they’ll work through it.

 

“I’ll call you,” Karen promises, also sad she can’t give her a goodbye kiss.

 

“Yeah. Whatever you want.” Janis squeezes her hands. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”

 

Karen sighs, reluctant to go home, but nods. “Yeah. Thank you.”

 

They hug one more time, then Janis has to watch as Karen goes to her mom’s car, both waving at Janis as Karen climbs in.

 

There’s still ominous clouds in the sky, but the sunset is visible at the edge of the block, above the trees. The car drives off in that direction, and Janis waits for it to disappear before heading back inside. The house now feels quiet and empty without Karen in it.

 

Quincy joins Janis on her bed when she returns, phone in hand to wait for Karen’s call. Her dad really has no say in her future or who she is. Janis will make sure she never forgets that.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are fetch ♡


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